Our Hope Endures

When I came in to work this morning I was told the news that a co-worker and friend, Tony Ponga, who had been battling cancer passed away last night. Many people had been praying for Tony's recovery and I am sure his family took comfort in those prayers. While Tony did not ultimately recover in his physical body from the cancer he made the best recovery of all, in his spirit.
Tony was raised in the Catholic faith but did not have a personal relationship with Christ. In the midst of the tragedy of cancer, God was with him and drew Tony to Him. Several months ago, Tony was baptized into Christ after coming to a believing faith in Jesus. Not only Tony, but his wife and daughter also.
The tragedy is not that Tony's physical life has come to an end (as sad as that is). The real tragedy would have been if Tony's life had ended with him not knowing Christ as his savior. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul writes:

"13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Paul also wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 these words:

12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

Since we believe in a bodily resurrection we have a hope that the non-believing world knows nothing about. When they die physically, it is their end to eternal damnation. These are to be pitied more than any others. When a child of God dies physically, it is far from the end. In fact, the Bible calls it a state of "sleep". But one day those of us who have fallen asleep will hear the voice of Jesus and be raised up to meet Him. Rather than being pitied, we have that blessed hope. Despite the outward circumstances and no matter how bleak things look, we have the eternal hope of Christ in us. There is a song by Natalie Grant that describes this very well. The refrain speaks volumes when it says "Emmanuel.. God is with us" and "El Shaddai.. all sufficient". God is always with us and He is also all sufficient for us. No matter how bad things may seem to get, our hope endures.

Our Hope Endures - Natalie Grant
You would think only
So much can go wrong
Calamity only strikes once
And you assume that this
One has suffered her share
Life will be kinder from here

[Chorus:]
Sometimes the sun
Stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky
Rains night after night
When will it clear
But our hope endures
The worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the Earth quake
Our hope is unchanged

How do we comprehend
Peace within pain
Or joy at a good man's wake?
Walk a mile with a woman
Whose body is torn
With illness
But she marches - on

[Chorus]

[3x]:
Emanuel, God is with us
El Shaddai, all sufficient

We never walk alone
This is our hope
Our hope endures
The worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the Earth quake
Let the Earth quake
Let the Earth quake
Our hope is unchanged